Your Healthy Family: Why are mammograms important, and why is 3D imaging better?

COLORADO SPRINGS – The month of October is an annual breast cancer awareness and it should be getting an annual mammogram to make sure.

A mammogram can save your life says Dr. Jason Allen, the Medical Director of the Breast Imaging Program at UCHealth Memorial.

"Early detection of breast cancer can make a huge difference. If we can detect a cancer that is more likely to lead to a better prognosis, we may have a greater incidence of lymph node involvement. other parts of the body. "

Dr. Allen says that it is possible to avoid mammograms because of the fear of pain.

"If you're worried about compression, or if you're in pain, you can ask the technologists to lighten up the compression a little bit. Compression is important because it allows the breast to be kept alive during the mammogram. It also minimizes the amount of radiation that the breast tissue actually absorbs so much compression. "

Dr. Allen, Specialized 3D breast imaging is becoming more common.

"3D mammograms are a little bit of a specialized mammogram. Instead of just taking two pictures, you still get the same views of the breast as those 3D mammograms have the ability to unmask. There is an advantage to using a 3D mammogram especially if you have dense breasts. "

Another concern for many women may be radiation from a mammogram. Dr. Allen says it's a very low dose, and it's a lot less than Colorado. If you have any questions about a mammogram follow up with your doctor, and you can reach out to the folks at the Lou Lou Beshears Breast Care Center. It's one of eight accredited breast centers in Colorado. The American College of Surgeons awards the accreditation only to programs that have been voluntarily committed to providing the highest level of breast care. You can find more information about their services on their web page.

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